# The doors are open. The table isn't.

> Women are half the workforce and a sliver of the leadership, and the fix has to start long before the first job interview.
- Title: The doors are open. The table isn't. · Fortune | Shortify
- Summary: Women are half the workforce and a sliver of the leadership, and the fix has to start long before the first job interview. Access was the last generation's…
- Keywords: women in leadership, confidence gap, venture capital, workplace, gender parity, doors, open, table, isn't, Fortune
- Source: Fortune — https://fortune.com/2026/09/13/gloria-steinem-women-america-workplace-participation
- Author: Jennifer Openshaw
- Read time: 2 min
- Topics: women in leadership, confidence gap, venture capital, workplace, gender parity
## The only woman in the room
David Grinberg's 22-year-old daughter Ily started in wealth management in Chicago this summer. Her father, an M&A attorney, noticed she was usually the only woman there.
## A small moment that counted
Two months in, Ily presented part of a wealth plan to a real client and got strong feedback from her team. Proof, for her father, that ability shows up when someone gets the chance.
## Ability alone isn't enough
Grinberg represents founders, many of them women who have built companies worth hundreds of millions. He still watches people second-guess their judgment.
## Confidence is the word
Asked what young women need most, Grinberg gave a one-word answer. Confidence comes from doing something well, realizing you can, then carrying that into the next challenge.

> The younger someone can start learning skills, the sooner they will understand what they can accomplish.
## An era ends with Steinem
Gloria Steinem's death closes a chapter. Former Catalyst CEO Lorraine Hariton calls this an unfinished agenda and a moment to hand the baton to a new generation.

> These are fragile times and we still have an unfinished agenda.
## A century from parity
The World Economic Forum puts global gender parity more than 100 years away. The U.S. sits 42nd, with the biggest gaps in economic and political leadership.
## Participation isn't power
Women hold 47% of entry-level jobs and earn nearly 60% of bachelor's degrees. They hold just 31% of senior leadership positions.

> Yet economic participation is not the same as economic power.
## 1.2% of the capital
Of roughly $265 billion in U.S. venture capital invested in 2025, all-female founding teams got 1.2%. Half the talent, a sliver of the funding.

> Half the talent cannot remain a fraction of the leadership and capital.
## It starts at age six
Girls begin questioning their abilities at 6. By 14, their confidence has dropped 30%. Recruiters see it later as young women who don't advocate for themselves in interviews.
## Better leaders, fewer claims
Research finds women outperform men on 17 of 19 leadership capabilities. Too many young women still resist calling themselves leaders.
## Build the conditions now
Give girls business skills, networks, financial knowledge and AI fluency before they enter a workplace being rebuilt. Leaders don't just emerge, they get made.

> We cannot wait for the next generation of leaders to emerge.
## Key takeaway

Access was the last generation's fight. Building confidence and skills early, so young women actually take the seat, is this one's.